Apparatus for holding and elevating garment bags



1952 'r. F. MARCHIONDA 2 APPARATUS FOR HOLDING AND ELEVATING GARMENT BAGS Filed Jan. 29, 1951 Patented Nov. 18, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE APPARATUS FOR HOLDING AND ELEVATIN G GARMENT BAGS Tony F. Marchionda, Struthers, Ohio Application January 29, 1951, Serial No. 208,357

4 Claims. 1

'IIns invention relates to a garment bagger and more particularly to a garment bagger incorporating means for automatically engaging a garment bag and elevating the same to facilitate the placing of a garment on the garment bagger.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a garment bagger having means for automatically engaging and elevating a garment bag.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a garment bagger which may be economically formed of a few easily fabricated parts which may be easily installed and operated for its intended purpose.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a garment baggerincluding a vertically movable element having movable arms thereon capable of expanding so as to be selfretaining in the upper portion of a garment bag.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a garment bagger incorporating a vertically movable element having arms for engagement in a garment bag and means for holding the vertically movable element and arms in lowermost position in the garment. bag.

The garment bagger shown and described herein comprises an improvement in the art relating to devices facilitating the application of garment bags to garments and particularly those which have been dry cleaned and pressed, hung on clothes hangers and then covered with a protective garment bag such as is customary in the dry cleaning industry.

Mechanical devices have been heretofore proposed for engagement with a garment bag to elevate the same and permit a garment on a clothes hanger to be. positioned 'therebeneath and the garment bag subsequently lowered thereover. Such devices have not met with commercial success for the reason that they have invariably utilized mechanical means such as clamps, pulleys, chains, cables and the like requiring manual operation and rendering the devices cumbersome and incapable of rapid use for their intended purpose. Additionally, their constructions rendered them prohibitive in cost, The present invention relates to a garment bagger which overcomes these particular problems and enables a simple and efficient garment bagger to be produced and used and avoids these and other objections.

With the foregoing and otherobjects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arshown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical section showing the lower portion of the garment bagger shown in Figure 1.

By referring to the drawings and Figure 1 in particular it will be seen that the garment bagger comprises a horizontal'mounting bracket l0 having a depending sleeve H secured thereto. The mounting bracket it is apertured and adapted to be secured to a supporting bracket such as a ceiling l2 by a plurality of fasteners l3. The

mounting bracket H! has a hook l4 positioned thereon and located within the sleeve H and is adapted to support a coil spring [5.

The sleeve l I has oppositely disposed apertures near its lower ends with set screws [6 therein for the sleeve II and normally extends downwardlya considerable distance therebelow. The tubular body I! has longitudinally extending, oppositely disposed slots Iii-18 in its sides which extend from a point near its uppermost end to its lowermost end. The lowermost end of the tubular body H is closed as by a closure l9 and is provided with a depending hook 20. The hook '20 is adapted to support a coat hanger 2| which ordinarily carries a garment 22. v

A garment bag 23 is shown in Figure 1 of the drawings in elevated position on the tubular body I1 and is shown held in such position by a pair of oppositely disposed, outwardly extending arms 24-24 which are shown in solid lines in elevated position holding the garment bag 23 above-the hook 20, the arms 24-24 extending out of the tubular body member through the oppositely disposed longitudinally extending slots I 8-- l8.

Inthe lower portion of Figure 1 of the drawings the arms 24'24 are shown in dotted lines tical plane and positioned adjacent the hook 29 so that the garment bag 23 can be threaded upwardly over the hook 2 0, the arms 24 and the bottom I9 of the tubular body I! to a point where the uppermost portion of the garment bag 23 overlies the arms 24. In such position the arms 24 are released and means hereinafter described moves them to extended position where they support the garment bag and at the same time they are elevated by the spring I thereby moving the garment bag 23 into the position shown in solid lines in Figure 1.

It will thus be seen that the operation of applying the garment bag 23 to the garment 22 is simplified by the use of the garment bagger as the bag 23 need only be initially engaged at its uppermost end over the hook 23, the arms 24 in retracted (vertical) position and the mechanism released to cause the bag to be supported on the arms 24 and simultaneousl elevated so that the hook 20 is positioned beneath the lowermost edge of the bag 23 and therefore readily available for hanging the garment 22 on its hanger 2| on the hook 29. The garment bag 23 may then be grasped and pulled downwardly over the hanger 2| and the garment 22 thereon, which action will move the arms 24 downwardly in the tubular body I! and will cause them to retract and move into vertical position when they reach the bottom I9 of the tubular body member I? thereby permitting the garment bag to drop freely onto the garment 22 and hanger 2| as shown in dotted lines in the lower part of Figure 1 of the drawings. The garment 22 and hanger 2| may then be removed from the hook 23 and the device is ready for a subsequent operation.

. The apparatus making possible th described operation is best illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings and by referring to Figure 3 the positioning of the apparatus in lowermost position in the tubular body may be seen. It will be observed that the lowermost end of the spring I5 is secured to the upper end of a vertical body 25' which has a flanged annular disc 26 secured thereto, portions of the disc 26 being formed in outwardly extending, oppositely disposed tabs 2|2'I registering with the slots I8 in the tubular body member I'l. The vertical body 25 extends below the disc 26 and is secured at its lowermost end to a secondary disc 29 which has the arms 24-24 pivoted to bosses 3fl-30 thereon. An opening 3| is formed in the secondary disc 29 and a vertically standing pin 32 is positioned on the bottom I9 and registers with the opening 3| and extends upwardly therethrough. A floating disc 33 is centrally apertured and slidably positioned on the vertical body 25 between the disc 26 and the secondary disc 29. A secondar coil spring 34 is positioned between the disc 26 and the floating disc 33 and normally urges the floating disc downwardly with respect to the disc 26.

In lowermost position as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings the pin 32 holds the floating disc 33 in close proximity to the flanged disc 26 and thereby compresses the secondary spring 34. The floating disc 33 is therefore elevated with respect to the inturned ends or" the arms 24-44 which are pivoted to the secondary disc 29 as heretofore disclosed and the arms 24-24 thereby assume the vertical position shown in Figure 3. A latch 35 pivoted at 36 to the tubular body I! normally holds the flanged disc 26 in lowermost position in the tubular body IT. A handle 3'! is formed on the latch 35 and enables it to be manually moved to free the flanged disc 26 and permit the coil spring I5 to move the assembly including the disc 26, the secondary disc 29 and the arms 24 upwardly in the tubular body IT. The handle 3? of the latch 35 is arcuate and positioned in partially wrap-around arrangement with respect to the exterior of the tubular body I! so as not to interfere with the movement of the garment bag 23 with respect thereto. It will also be seen that the latch 35 is above the top of the garment bag 23 when the same is first positioned on the device so that it may be readily manipulated.

Still referring to Figure 3 of the drawings it will be seen that when the garment bag 23 is I positioned over the hook 20, the retracted, vertically standing arms 24 are moved to a point where the garment bag is just beneath the latch 35, the latch 35 may be depressed which frees the assembly just referred to, permits the arms 24 to move outwardly into extended position where they support the garment bag and at the same time permits the assembly to be moved vertically in the bod I? by the spring I5. This action is illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings and by referring thereto it will be observed that the spring 34 has moved the floating disc 33 downwardly against the inturned ends of the arms 24 thereby causing the arms 24 to move outwardly and upwardly and thereby engage the upper portion of the garment bag. This action is permitted by reason of the vertical movement of the assembly away from the pin 32 which has heretofore held the floating disc 33 in spaced relation with respect to the inturned ends of the arms 24.

As heretofore described, the operation of the device lifts the garment bag so that its lower edge is above the hook 29 and therefore facilitates the placing of the garment hanger and garment thereon. When the garment bag is then grasped and moved downwardly over the garment 22 on its hanger 2| the coil spring I5 will be extended as the arms 24 move downwardly in the tubular body member and when the assembly, including the flanged disc 26, the floating disc 33 and the secondary disc 29, reaches the bottom of the tubular body I1 the latch 35 will again operate to hold the same and at the same time the pin 32 will space the floating disc 33 with respect to the secondary disc 29 and thereby permit the arms 24 to drop into retracted vertical position.

It will thus be seen that the several objects of the invention have been met by the garment bagger herein disclosed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A garment bagger comprising in combination a vertically positioned tubular body member having oppositely disposed longitudinally extending slots in the sides thereof, means on the upperend of the tubular member for securing it to an overhead support, and a hook on the lower end of the said tubular member for supporting a garment hanger, a coil spring secured to the uppermost end of the garment bagger and lying within the tubular member, a body member on the lower end of the said spring, said body member including a disc having projecting lugs engageable with thewalls of said slots and a secondary disc spaced therebelow, a pair of arms pivoted to the said secondary disc and positioned for registry with the said slots, inturned ends on the/said arms, a floating disc on the body member between the said disc and secondary disc and engageable withsaid inturned ends of the arms, a secondary coil spring about the body member normally urging the floating disc against the inturned ends of the arms whereby the arms are moved outwardly and upwardly with respect to the tubular body member and means on the tubular body member for spacing the said floating disc with respect to the inturned ends of the said arms when the said floating disc is in lowermost position in the said tubular member.

2. A garment bagger comprising in combination a vertically positioned tubular body member having oppositely disposed longitudinally extending slots in the sides thereof, means on the upper end of the tubular member for securing it to an overhead support, and a hook on the lower end of the said tubular member for supporting a garment hanger, a coil spring secured to the uppermost end of the garment bagger and lying within the tubular member, a body member on the lower end of the said spring, said body member including a disc having projecting lugs engageable With the walls of said slots and a secondary disc spaced therebelow, a pair of arms pivoted to the said secondary disc and positioned for registry with the said slots, inturned ends on the said arms, a floating disc on the body member between the said disc and secondary disc and engageable with said inturned ends of the arms, means for spacing the floating disc from the secondary disc, a secondary coil spring about the body member normally urging the floating disc against the inturned ends of the arms whereby the arms are moved outwardly and upwardly with respect to the tubular body member, and latch means on the tubular body engaging the said disc for retaining the said disc, secondary disc, floating disc and arms in lowermost position in the tubular body member.

3. The garment bagger as set forth in claim 1 wherein the means for spacing the floating disc and the secondary disc comprises a vertically standing pin secured to the bottom of the said tubular body member and extending vertically through an opening in the secondary disc and engaging the said floating disc.

4. A garment bagger comprising a supporting bracket for attachment to a ceiling, a sleeve secured thereto and depending therefrom, a tubular body member having oppositely disposed longitudinally extending slots therein telescopically positioned in said sleeve, means for holding said tubular member in predetermined position in said sleeve, a hook on said supporting bracket and a coil spring attached to said hook and positioned in said sleeve and tubular body member, a vertical body member secured to the bottom end of the coil spring, an annular collar on said body member near the upper end thereof, a floating disc on the said vertical body member beneath the said annular collar and spaced with respect thereto, a secondary coil spring on said body member between said annular collar and said floating disc, a disc on the bottom of said body member, a pair of arms pivotally secured to said disc and positioned for sideward movement through said slots, inturned ends on the said arms positioned beneath the said floating disc, the said arms normally held in sidewardly extending position by said floating disc and secondary coil spring, means for holding said collar, disc, arms on said disc and floating disc in the lowermost end of the said tubular body member and means for holding said floating disc in spaced relation to the inturned ends of the said arms so that the upper end of a garment bag can be slipped over the said arms and onto the said tubular body member, the said arms being of a length engageable with the inner side of the top of the garment bag when the arms are in extended position, a secondary hook on the lowermost portion of the said tubular body member for supporting a garment hanger and garment.

TONY F. MARCHIONDA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,907,488 Bosworth May 9, 1933 2,429,744 Capehart Oct. 28, 1947 2,469,494 Bushko May 10, 1949 

